Wednesday, 23 March 2016

Well hello there, fancy seeing you again! I was not only out
of the blogging world but also the real world, as I was so sick my face told
unspoken words to people. Meaning, I had the kind of sickness that makes people
put ‘that’ face, like you were a lost puppy that was somehow attending to a
Regulation and Supervision of Markets lecture. Anyway, 4 days in bed a bit of
cough on a side will not stop me from this Master.

I have been experiencing a bit of anxiety as I submitted my
draft for my last paper last Friday, as emptiness is somehow very present in
our lives. In other words, we are running out of excuses for starting to write
the thesis. Ideally, we should be writing something this week or the next, just
a few lines, to get that feeling that we are moving forward. Planning is very
important, it is just like a gym routine, we will not get results unless we
actually start doing it. Truth is, writing is not such a big burden, as we have
been writing 10 pages for essays, and if we divide it and write 3 pages per ‘writing
day’ then it’s around 12 days (ROUGHLY ).

Many have started to think what to do after we finish, whether
it’s looking for work or internship here in the Netherlands or in your home
countries, I’m very confident despite all the stress and thinking, you will all
find your way, everything will be FINE! So as I have told you many times
before, enjoy this months, enjoy this people that you see, because even though
we have made friends, not all are going to live here after we finish.

What I like the most about the Master is the information
available for us. What I mean is, there a lot of visits, and guest speakers
from different organisations, such as the ACM, AFM, or from the private sector.
For a person that had no information regarding the functioning of the EU, this
has been very enlightening. These shows me how this institutions work, and it
can give you an idea on where you would like to work, given that I am not a fan
of law firms, it certainly posted an alternative.

One advice from student to student: When you are sending a
paper, do not forget to attach the file. I think that is the most valuable
thing I can add now. Tot laterz

Friday, 11 March 2016

Hello there! I hope you are enjoying (Yes, I actually believe it is possible) this last
weeks of the Master. Trust me, one day you will look back and think those were
the good old days. But since we are living now, I am guessing nostalgia has not really
kicked in just yet…

Either way, on the 'News Corner' I am happy to announce that one group
paper and one presentation has gone by, and even though there are some
adjustments to be done, we can say we are almost done. Next week we hand in
another draft for our second subject, and really the anxiety is in the air, as
many of us are thinking when exactly am I going to write my thesis? Should I
wait to the semester is over? Past the exams? Could I do it in a month? Who am
I?

After having my first peer group meeting I have come to one
conclusion: We are all in this together, and we are all fighting little battle. Each have a different style and
approach to their topics, so, this is why I have elaborated some ‘characters’ in my mind
that portray the different stages and situations in which students may be going
through. Personally, I suffer what I like to call ‘Alexander the Great problem’: I have a
good idea, but it can become too broad, and if I am not careful I could even become queen of Persia, Babylon and Asia. There are also

Bohr and Rutherford problems: Maybe you have a very specific
topic, (perhaps you want to provide a different interpretation or
definition) When this happens, working with details can be exhausting and confusing,
so why don’t you step a few steps back when you feel lost? Sometimes getting
the whole picture can help finding your way.

Of course, we are all going through a Darwinian struggle: Only the fittest of ideas will survive. This is exactly what we should be doing with our thoughts, put them on a test: Write them down, compare them, analyse their strengthsand weaknesses, stretch them, narrow them and then choose your way into your topic. Peer groups are a very good idea, by now you know your classmates well enough, and you know who can you work with better, so consult with each other, get opinions, help each other. Be the Beatles before Yoko.

All you need is a thesis, and pass your exams. Sun is shining. This small grain of sand in the universe will say good bye (for now).